2011 Beaujolais Chenas Quartz

The 2011 Chenas Quartz Domaine Piron & Lameloise (see my reviews of its two predecessors in Issues 190 and 196 for further details ) leads with a sweet and smoky, slightly reduced evocation of machine oil mingled with scents of black raspberry and plum, accompanied by smoky hints of black tea and bacon. Clear, pure, and juicily fruited on the palate, it captures the typical saliva-including salinity associated with this site and soil, along with flint-like pungency and crystalline stoniness, finishing with penetration and refreshing persistence that is guaranteed to reel you back for the next sip of this highly appetizing and inevitably multi-talented effort. It should perform brilliantly through at least 2018 and will I suspect be one of those cru Beaujolais that develops a distinct resemblance to mature Northern Rhone Syrah. (I’m happy to report that when tasted alongside, the 2010 rendition – which is currently in U.S. markets – is showing entirely consistent with my Issue 196 appraisal.) Morgon-based Dominique and Kristine Piron (see Issues 184 and 190 for my extended reports on their properties and stylistic evolution) seem to have new projects to show me each time I visit, and I long ago recognized that it would be best to register all of their wines in our database under “Dominique Piron,” although some officially belong to separate domaines of joint ownership, whose names, where applicable, I include as part of each wine’s description. Release times for many of these wines are intentionally leisurely, so that American markets currently feature a considerable range of 2009s and 2010s. Importers include Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559 1040; Potomac Selections, Inc., Landover MD; tel. (301) 583- 8844; and Sherbrooke Cellars, Scarsdale, NY; tel. (914) 722-9100